100th International Women's Day

Golden girls awarded

EQUAL RIGHTS, EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES: PROGRESS FOR ALL: Nari Uddug Kendra, a non-government organisation, brought out a rally in the city yesterday to observe the 100th International Women's Day.Photo: STAR

To mark the 100th International Women's Day, Nari Uddug Kendra, a non-government organisation, accorded a reception to female gold winners of the 11th South Asian Games as well as renowned sports organisers and former athletes at the CIRDAP Auditorium here yesterday.
The ceremony virtually turned into a get-together as stars of today mingled with the celebrities of yesteryears, who once ruled their respective sports.
Female athletes from weightlifting, handball, kabaddi, football, cricket and other disciplines turned up at the award giving ceremony for sports personalities in the afternoon. A rally was also organised in the morning that started from Muktangan and ended at CIRDAP.
Bangladesh Handball Federation's senior vice-president Hamida Ali, who is also the former president of Bangladesh Women's Sports Association (BWSA) and principal of Viquarunnisa Noon School, national sports award winner and former BWSA vice-president Jinat Ahmed, who also won gold in high jump in Pakistan Olympics in 1955 and the country's lone WFM Rani Hamid were given life-time award by Nari Uddug Kendra. The organisation introduced such awards for the female sports personalities last year. Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique handed over the crests to the recipients as the guest of honour.
Besides, prominent athletes Dolly Kathryn, Rawshan Akhter Chobi, Sufia Khatun, Shamima Sattar Mimu, Kamrul Nahar Hiru, Syeda Morium Tareque and Mahbub Ara Gini MP were also presented with special awards for their achievements during their sporting days.
Bangladesh achieved their best-ever success in the SA Games at home last month as the hosts won 18 gold medals of which eight gold came through female athletes and they were recognised on a day when the country observed the 100th International Women's Day with a slogan of "Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities: Progress for All."
Except shooter Syeda Sadia Sultana, all gold medalists Sharmin Akhter Ratna and Tripti Datta (shooting), Sharmin Farjana Rumi, Sharmin Akhter (taekwondo), Munni Khanom, U Chinu Marma, Jaw U Pru (karate), Iti Islam (wushu) were present and received medals from the guest of honour.
The DU VC in his speech said that he believed these successful female athletes would lead the way in sports in future and that the government should take proper initiatives to accommodate sports in the education policy.
Rafia Akhter Dolly, president of Bangladesh Women's Sports Association, urged the government to ensure sports alongside education from the primary level and create room for female athletes in government jobs.
She also believed participation of female athletes would increase only if they were given proper environment as well as enough security.
Mahbub Ara Gini, a Member of Parliament and member on the Parliamentary Committee on Youth and Sports, said the government planed to allocate Tk one crore each to each of 64 district as fixed deposit in a bid to increase sports activities at the district levels.
Masuda Begum Shefali, executive director of Nari Uddug Kendra, also spoke on the occasion.